Stopper



April 26, 1938. c, v, MORGAN I I 2,115,035

STOPPER Filed June 16, 1937 fizz/en Z'ar (Zf/braW/Vagm Patented Apr. 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE s'rorrna Cliflord v. Morgan, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application .inno 1c, 1937, Serial No. 148,477

factured and used by or for the governmental purpo 7 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3,

amended April 30, 1928 370 0. 75'!) This invention described herein may be manu- Govemment for ses, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates generally to stoppers,

but more particularly to a stopper provided with a normally closed passage therein, said passage permitting the admission of a tube into the interior of the container into which the stopper is The stopper is adapted for insertion into the mouth of a bottle, flask, jug, can, inkwell or any other type of containers, but is especially adapted for use in connectionwith vessels used in chemical laboratories and hospitals.

One object of th e invention is to provide a stopper having one or more holes, ducts or canals for the passage of fluids, either liquid or gaseous, into and out of the containers.

Another object is to have these holes or canals so constructed as to permit withdrawal of such struments or devices the insertion and other articles, apparatus, inlike syringes, medicine droppers, pipettes, burettes, tubing, thermometers;

'pens, et cetera.

Still another object is to provide a means of closing or compressing the passages or canals of the stopper, after the withdrawal of such items,

vention consists of stopper, the parts of fully described and the claims.

a novel construction of a which to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out in In describing the invention in detail, reference is had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

merals or references and wherein the nuindicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the stopper showing a vertical mid-cross-section of the portion surrounding the central tube, with the lower portion of the latter partially broken away, when no internal pressure is collapsing the tube, and when a needle of an inflating instrument is inserted into the interval cavity;

the tube when no upon the same;

internal pressure is exerted Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the stopper showing a vertical midcross-section of the portion surrounding the central tube and of the lower third of the tube; when internal pressure has 001- lapsed the tube, the needle remaining inserted into the internal cavity;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal mid-cross-section of the 5 stopper, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing the tube collapsed by internal pressure within the annular chamber surrounding the same;

Fig. 5 is a perspective .view showing a syringe inserted into the stopper. A portion of the con- 10 tainer into which the stopper is inserted is shown in dotted outline.

Briefly stated, the article which forms the subject matter of this invention consists of a hollow stopper formed preferably of rubber or other per- 15 meable elastic material provided with a canal or passage therethrough, and an annular chamber surrounding the tubular wall of said canal. The tubular wall of the canal is collapsed by the injection of a fluid into this internal cavity through 20 a hollow needle, thereby forming a valve within the canal by compression of its tubular wall, the function of the valve depending upon, among other things, the length, diameter, thickness and elasticity of the rubber tube and the degree of 25 pressure, viscosity and temperature of the injected fluid.

Referring to the drawing the numeral iii indicates generally the enclosing walls of the rubber stopper, the top Ii, bottom I2 and conical side 30 V wall l3 being continuous but not necessarily of one piece construction. It is obvious that the walls might be made up of a separate top, sides, and bottom, each or all being of varied number of pieces, size, shape, or material, but it is imperative 35 that all walls are united together and to the tube H by such means and manner as to completely seal the stoppers internal cavity l5, so that it will retain the particular type of fluid that may be injected therein to produce the pressure.

For some purposes, parts or all of the top, sides or bottom might need to be made of cast, molded, or machined alloys of steel, aluminum,.brass, or other metals, glass, bakelite or other varied compositions. The shape might be round, square, 45 oblong, oval or other varied design. The size is immaterial. It may be desired to provide a wall with a threaded opening adapted for the reception of a small valve which might be inserted into the wall at some part of a large stopper so as to be 50 adapted for the transfer of the fluid pressure by other means than the needle process.

The walls l0 should-be thicker or otherwise reinforced at portions where bulging is to be prevented. The cavity IS lying within the walls [0 of the stopper surroundsthe tube u of the but it should be as small or canal it. The internal cavity is preferably symmetrical and annularas illustrated, but need not necessarily be so. The size is arbitrary as practical to allow walls III to be thick and strong, but the cavity should be large enough to hold suflioient fluid to collapse tube ll.

Air, 011 or other suitable 'ifuid is injected into cavity l through the tubular needle I! which is attached through its. shank I 8 to a Luer syringe or other pumping or pressure mavice. The needle is then withdrawn from the rubber stopper, and.

' have been a separate piece of rubber tubing, but

regardless of the method of construction, it becomes an integral part of the stopper as a whole.

It theoretically, it not actually, bounds the canal from one end to the other. At the junction of the tube M to the top H and bottom l2 of the walls l0 there should be thickening or re-inforcement to prevent the eversion of the tube ll through the canal I 6 when internal pressure is applied.

Tube ll may be of varied size, shape or'material. In length itshould beshort enough to permit, through its canal It, the insertion and operation of the apparatus or device for which it was intended, such as a glass plungerless syringe is having a rubber bulb 20. The tube I4 should be thick enough to withstand wear without tearing easily.

Theoretically, it appears that tube II should be round and have its canal I 6 round for the reasons that most apparatus have rounded ends and because tubes with circular passages collapse evenly.

without undue puckering, thus permitting maximum approximation of the canal surfaces to the apparatus and to each other when pressure is increased within the cavity ll. Other shapes may prove more practical however.

Tube I 4 as illustrated, is formed ofrubber of high elasticity and tensile strength, and minimum adhesive qualities so as to withstand the insertion and withdrawal of apparatus. Other flexible andelastic compositions may be more suitable in some stoppers, particularly if rubber is too adhesive to special apparatus or too much aifected by the chemical agents used.

With reference to Fig. 3 it will be noted that not only are the walls of the tubular canal l6 collapsed by the pressure of the fluid within the annular chamber, but the lateral circular wall of the stopper is extended so that the stopper is more tightly retained within. the container into which it is placed.

passage.

'fluid from said container,

as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hollow annularly shaped stopper provided with a longitudinal tubular canal having a collapsible wall.

2. A hollowannularly shaped stopper formed of permeable elastic material provided with a central longitudinal canal having a collapsible will adapted to form a valve. a z

3. A hollow annularly shaped stopper formed of permeable elastic material provided with a. central longitudinal canal forming a unitary structure with said stopper, said canal having a collapsible walladapted to form a closable passage therethrouh.

v 4. A hollow stopper formed of permeable elastic Having described my invention, what I claim material adapted to form a closure for a container, a canal having a tubular collapsible wall passing .longitudinally through said stopper and forming an annular inflatable chamber therein.

5. A hollow stopper adapted to form a closure for a container, said stopper formedof permeable elastic material adapted for the insertion of the needle of a hypodermic syringe, and of automatically closing the opening made by said needle upon withdrawal of the same, a central longitudinal tubular canal having a collapsible wall, passing through said stopper adapted to receive a tubular member for filling or withdrawing fluid from said container, said canal forming an annular inflatable chamber within said hollow stopper adapted to receive a fluid under pressure through said hypodermic syringe to collapse said canal on withdrawal of said tubular member.

6. A hollow stopper adapted to form a closure for a container, said stopper formed of permeable elastic material adapted for the insertion of a tubular needle of an inflating instrument, and of automatically closing the opening made by said needle upon withdrawal of the same, a central longitudinal tubular canal having a collapsible wall, passing through said stopper adapted to receive a tubular member for fllling or withdrawing said canal forming an annular inflatable chamberwithin said hollow stopperadapted to retain a fluid under pressure injected through said inflating instrument to extend the surface of said stopper adjacent said container and to close the passage through said canal on withdrawal of said tubular member.

7. A hollow stopper adapted to form a closure for a container, said stopper formed of permeable elastic material adapted for the insertion of the needle of a hypodermic syringe; and of automatically closing the opening made by said needle upon withdrawal of the same, a central longitudinal tubular canal having a collapsible wall, passing through said stopper adapted to receive a tubular memberfor filling or withdrawing fluid 

